King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and Family, General News, Part 2 (Sept. 2017 - present)

[Countessmeout]

I notice only the older 2 kids were on the hike. Was it too long for the younger two? Nice place for them to spend their holidays.

[Hannelore]

We don't know what the girls were doing, because there aren't any pictures to show... But it looks like they were walking in different groups. Mathilde & Philippe are there with a group of friends.

The blond woman who walks with Mathilde isn't Elisabeth BTW, as you can see here: Queen Mathilde: Semana Santa in Spain

[iceflower]

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Here are some Spanish press reports about the family's journey including some more information:


** lapatilla: Los reyes de Bélgica peregrinan el Camino de Santiago en España (fotos) ** translation **


** hola: ¡Como unos peregrinos más! Los reyes de Bélgica realizan el Camino de Santiago ** translation **

[eya]

Happy 58th Birthday to King Philippe!!

"Ik wil jullie hartelijk bedanken voor de gelukwensen naar aanleiding van mijn 58ste verjaardag! Je vous remercie chaleureusement pour vos voeux exprimés à l’occasion de mon 58ème anniversaire!"

"I thank you warmly for your wishes on the occasion of my 58th birthday!"

https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn.n...2c&oe=5B675FDB

[leidi]

It's so nice that he remembers Baudouin, it's been 25 years (this summer) since he passed away and I think Philippe is grateful for his guidance and his example in his life

It's also very nice that the general public will be able to see the painting, since it will be exposed during the summer opening of the Royal Palace.

[wartenberg7]

I didn´ t know HM was such a skillfull painter!

[leidi]

Originally Posted by wartenberg7

I didn´ t know HM was such a skillfull painter!

Maybe he inherited that from his great-grandmother Elisabeth and his namesake daughter seems to be interested in painting as well!

[eya]

Two new photos of the family

https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn.n...c0&oe=5B86C1BB
https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn.n...11&oe=5B8DF6D6

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by eya

Two new photos of the family

https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn.n...c0&oe=5B86C1BB
https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn.n...11&oe=5B8DF6D6

Very nice looking family as always. The children will soon become very eligible single people, especially Élisabeth and Gabriel.

Were the pictures taken at the Greenhouses of Laeken ?

[eya]

Yes for the opportunity that are opens for the public until 11 May!

[Hannelore]

It looks like they're part of a set that ws taken in the autumn of 2017: http://queenmathilde.blogspot.be/201...-16-today.html

[Tatiana Maria]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

Very nice looking family as always. The children will soon become very eligible single people, especially Élisabeth and Gabriel.

Luckily for them, the Belgian press seems to be exceedingly discreet on the subject of the royals' romantic lives. Wasn't Barbara Maselis the only girlfriend of Philippe whose name was leaked?

Originally Posted by Hannelore

Mathilde gave an interview to MO Magazine, a Belgian left-wing magazine that reports on global developments. It's about her work as an SDG advocate, but at the same time she reveals things about her own youth, her background, her children etc.

Mathilde really is a woman of substance, and this is quite an intersting read IMO: Queen Mathilde: "2030 is tomorrow. Change has to happen today"

You can see all of her SDG activities at this link - at least the ones that have made it to the media: Queen Mathilde: SDG

Thank you for posting the translated interview. I appreciate how it gives extensive descriptions of Queen Mathilde's experiences and points of view, especially the quotes below.

The answer starts with Mathilde's mother's family history. She describes Anne Komorowska as a Polish woman who fled the communist regime. Mother was a countess, but during those nomad years, that also briefly took her to Congo, she knew poverty and hunger. A trauma that never healed, and that was made clear from the absolute prohibition to spill or waste food in the d'Udekem d'Acoz household.

When she was 18, Mathilde frightened her parents with her holiday plans: she wanted to spend the summer months of 1991 in Cairo. She would go there on her own to work with a local NGO in the slums of the Egyptian capital. […] "That summer changed me and made me into the person I am today".

[…]

Because "the SDGs change the conversation about North & South, with changes needed in the South. Now we talk about an inclusive, universal story where all of us are responsable for the future we have in common. The 'developing world' becomes a real actor, and the business world is being asked to be responsable."

[…]

"I don't want to lock myself in negative thoughts. I prefer to focus on what's positive and realistic. The resilience of vulnerable people, their ability to rise time and time again, to find the strength to survive... that's what I admire."

To illustrate that indestructable life force she's talking about, Mathilde tells me the story of a 55-year old man she met recently: "His face was a reminder of the painful life he'd led. A crooked nose from a violent youth, with a father who had broken every bone in his son's face. He'd been left on the street in a coma. He grew into a thug and worse. He knew every juvenile court judge in the wider area. Untill one of those judges looked him straight in the eye and said: you've got the brains to get a degree. That one time where someone believed in him made all the difference. He told me: I existed in the eyes of someone. And yes, he got his degree and finally showed it to the judge to prove he was capable of it. Now he's married. With his wife he runs a youth shelter for kids with a difficult background."

[…]

When asked if she ever confronts the Belgian government with their inconsistent policies, or with the cuts they make in social security or development aid, the queen replies with a royal smile and similar diplomacy: "I'd rather put my energy into encouragement than into reproaches."

[HereditaryPrincess]

Lovely photos of the family. Elisabeth and Eleonore look really like each other in the first photo.
Laeken looks like a beautiful place to live. I bet the greenhouse is fun to explore!

[eya]

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visited Monday 14 May, the De Warande , a meeting place for Flemings in Brussels on the occasion of the 30th anniversary

https://www.instagram.com/p/BizTcp5A...-by=de_warande
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi6B3wcD...0jaardewarande

[iceflower]

Here's another photo:


** dewarande: Het Koningspaar op bezoek! **

[Hannelore]

Philippe & Mathilde have been on a short break in Italy this week:

https://queenmathilde.blogspot.com/2...-holidays.html

[eya]

Quen Mathilde today at BXL TOUR: a 40 km bike ride through the streets of Brussels to promote the use of bicycles in Brussels

https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn.n...f1&oe=5BAAA9FC
https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn.n...72&oe=5BAE989D
https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn.n...55&oe=5BBAA51B

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...9254144&type=1

[Ista]

Very happy to see all the bike helmets!

[eya]

A photoshoot for the summer of the Royal Family's vacation at the Villers Abbey in Villers-la-Ville, Sunday 24 June 2018.

Belga Image

Videos

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2018/06...eren-bezoeken/

Article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ar...-children.html

[iceflower]

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Here are some more photos of the photosession:


** gettyimages gallery **


** weekend.levif.be gallery: La famille royale à l'abbaye de Villers-la-Ville (en images) **